Good Old Vitamin D

My mother watched me through the glass of the mirror as I was applying aloe vera to my lobster-esque skin. As mother's everywhere do when they see their daughters scrutinize their reflections she told me I looked beautiful. "I hate that I see it this way, but I find tan skin so beautiful," she commented. I looked up at my bronzed face and attomatically thought, "If beauty hurts, we're doing it wrong."

A hundred years ago tan skin was a sign of bad breeding. If you were tan that meant you worked in the sun, which implied that your family was poor. Hats, gloves, and parasols covered the ladies and shield them from being considered lower class citizens. Fair skin was beautiful. What happened?

From what I have gathered, it was the 1920 when Coco Chanel, a French designer, arrived home from a yacht party with a deep suntan. Being famous, she of course set the new trend of "tan." Bikinies arrived in the fifties along with self-tanning products of bronzer and brown creames. Of course, with short summer months, the tan didn't last longer than days of sunshine. Well somewhere along the line the brilliant idea of tanning salons began. In the eighties the world saw the first tanning beds which have only grown up until now. And this, my dear friends, is the new idea of beautiful.

It's true that sunshine makes you happy like chocolate. But did you know that it only takes your skin fifteen minutes each day in the sun to soak up all the vitamin D you need? I like to look tan as much as the next person, but over the years I have realized that is nearly impossible with my complexion. So why expose myself to unnecessary risks?

We all know that too much exposure to tanning lamps or even from the sun itself can cause skin cancer. The ultraviolet radiation causes skin cell damage that can lead to abnormal cell reproduction. I'm not a science person so I don't understand it all, all I know is that it's dangerous. UV rays are a killer and we're willingly letting them hurt us for something our culture sees as beautiful.

If you do, however, escape the skin cancer epidemic, too much exposure to radiation can lead to premature skin aging such as wrinkles and brown spots. And no. A quick fix with Botox should not be an option!

So it's your choice. Weigh the risks. I love being outdoors during the summertime, because it's the only time that the sun really warms your skin. But seriously, sun screen can be a lifesaver. Literally. What's the point of being tan anyway? Does it really make you more beautiful? Because the right guy will be able to see your beauty, tan or not.

All I'm saying is you're not going to see me at a tanning salon anytime soon.